Protected seam for shoes



May 15, 1928 I 1,670,008 C. E. RICKEY PROTECTED SEAM FOR SHOES Filed April 9, 1925 Patented May 15, 1928.

UNITED orr ca. 1

CHARLES EDWIN RICKEY, F PORTSMOUTH, OHIO,' ASSIGNOR TO THE EXCELSIOR SHOE COMPANY; OF PORTSMOUTH, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PROTECTED SEAM FOE SHOES.

Application filed April 9, 1925. Serial No. 21,818.

My present invention involves the toe structure of shoes and relates particularly .to the protection of the sole'seani at the toe area.

5, In .shoes having a stitched sole, whether Welt or McKay, spherical stress on the toe of the sole cau'ses what I have determined to be radial strains upon the individual stitches.

It has been noted that in shoe wearers a large number take off with the toe, or step or push from the toe tipor greater toe, as distinguished from the lateral toe drive common to the aborigine or the fiat foot step of the degenerate walker.

This characteristic due to the toeing out or angular tread of the foot has exerted on footwear an enormous tax and strain. As long as shoe flexations are generally fore and aft stitches may come and go insome semblance of adjustment, but when the lay works on'plural axes, the disruptive e ect is tremendous.

If the sole of a shoe is considered geo- E5 metrically with reference to its sole as a plane, it will be seen that in that plane the general flexation is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shoe.

At the toe, however, the forward end is substantially circular about a spot or point enerally centrally of the ball of the foot. fielative to the spot the toe strains are radial and no longer confined to simpleplane-like fiexations, but are spherical. The wearing of the stitches at the toeis therefore most serious as they can not but yield to these strains as soon as the seam is worn through at any part, or the sole worn back to give the seam insufiicient support. This calls for seam protection and particularly a stayed but isolated fastening so placed as not to out into the stitches, but to afl'ord lateral protection. To illustrate the problem and indicate a simple solution of the same in accordance with my invention, ljhave shown in the I nying drawing a characteristic case.

accomp Throughout the specl cation and drawn s like reference characters are used to in icate corresponding parts, and in the drawa ig. 1' is a centrahvertical section of' a conventional shoe toe.

Fig. 2 is a sole plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the sole plan, and

Fig. 4 1s a similar section of the. radial strains.

I have indicated at U an upper having a welt W and a sole S stitched as at T therethrough. The stitching T may be of any type as welt or McKay, and the stitching is done in the usual manner for the type of shoe, so that there will be no needle interference withany metal fastening.

If the shoe toe be observed it will beseen to have what is really a center G which lies in a theoretical longitudinal axis LL at the intersection of the transverse breadth line BB and is cut by an infinite number of radial stress and strain, lines GR. ()n

each of these radial lines as the toe ofthe shoe s flexed, there is set up torsional and shearing strains on the individual stitches T In addition to this strain, there is also the actual and always increasing wear on the periphery ofthe toe which planes oil or bevels the edges ofthe sole- Such Wear is another attack upon the stitch line, both weakening the surrounding as cutting or breaking the stitches themselves.

I therefore reinforceithe toe area of the sole by preferably independent unitary stays or fastenings. These are by preference metallic driven members I set after the stitches T are laid and driven into-protective for mation about said line and in radial reference to the toe center C.

The zone I is driven just outside the stitch line so that it not only takes its share of radial stress, but. forms an actual metallic leather as Well seam without actually cutting into it, and the reinforcement area lying between the 15 makes the operation a rapid, practical step in the making of the shoe.

Various i'nodifications in the character form and arrangement'of the seam stitches,

reinforcement, 'etc., may be employed with out departing fromthe spirit of 'my invention.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters; Patent is:

1. In a shoe toe having a fiexation center, a circumferential stitch line, and a metallic reinforcement area disposed on both' sides of theline of stitches, the Kguter portion of stitches and the edge of the sole, and the inner portion of the reinforcement area. 1 ing insidethe stitches and extending r ially of said center adjacent to said stitch line.

2. ing a sole stitched thereto anda plurality of independent driven metallic fastenings arranged in one ormore rows protective, and reinforced relation relative to the stitch '25 i line on both sides'thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix In signature.

CHARLES EDWIN ICKEY.

. 20 In a shoe structure, a toe part includ -r 

